The Twelve Hunters
Once upon a time, there was a prince who had a fiancée whom he loved dearly. One day, while he was happily with the young woman, news came that his father, the king, was gravely ill and wished to see his son one last time before dying. So, the prince said to his beloved, “I must leave you now. I give you this ring as a token of my love. Once I become king, I will return to marry you.” He mounted his horse and left.
When he arrived at his father’s side, the king was already on the verge of death. His father said to him, “My dearest son, before I die, I want to see you one last time. Please promise me that you will marry according to my wish.” He then told his son that he should marry a certain princess. The prince, filled with grief, agreed without thinking, saying, “Yes, dear father, I will do as you wish.” Shortly after, the king closed his eyes and passed away.
The prince thus inherited the throne. After the mourning period, he fulfilled his promise to his father and sent people to ask for the hand of the princess in marriage, and his proposal was accepted.
When his first fiancée heard this news, she was deeply saddened by his infidelity and almost died of grief. Her father asked her, “My dearest child, why are you so sad? Whatever you wish for, I will give it to you.” After thinking for a moment, she said, “Dear father, I want eleven girls who look exactly like me in appearance, size, and shape.” Her father said, “If it’s possible, I will fulfill your wish.” He sent people all over the country to search until they found eleven girls who were identical to his daughter in appearance, size, and shape.
When they were brought before the king’s daughter, she had already ordered twelve identical hunting outfits to be made. She gave one to each of the eleven girls, and then she put on the last one herself. She said goodbye to her father and, along with the eleven girls, rode to the palace of the prince she loved so dearly. She asked him if he needed hunters and if he could employ all twelve of them in his palace. The king, not recognizing her, saw that they all looked so handsome and said, “Sure.” He was happy to accept them all. From then on, they became the king’s twelve hunters.
The king had a magical lion that could see through all disguises and deceptions. One night, the lion said to the king, “You think you’ve hired twelve hunters, don’t you?” “Yes,” the king replied, “they are indeed twelve hunters.” But the lion continued, “You are mistaken, they are twelve women.” “How can that be? Can you prove it?” the king asked. The lion replied, “Yes, I can. Have some peas scattered in the hall. You’ll see for yourself… Men walk steadily and won’t disturb the peas when they step on them, but women, with their lighter steps, will cause the peas to roll all over.” The king thought this was a good idea and ordered peas to be scattered in the hall.
However, one of the king’s servants, who was friends with the hunters, overheard the plan and went to warn them. He told them, “The lion wants to convince the king that you are women.”
The princess thanked him, and then told the other girls, “You must all act as if you are strong and heavy-footed, stepping firmly on the peas.” The next morning, the king summoned the twelve hunters, and they entered the hall where the peas had been scattered. They walked with steady, strong steps, pressing down on the peas so that none of them rolled away. After they left, the king said to the lion, “You deceived me. They walked just like men.” The lion replied, “Someone must have warned them of the test, and that’s why they walked with such force. Have some spinning wheels placed in the hall. Women will be delighted to see them, but men will not be interested in such things.”
The king liked this suggestion and ordered spinning wheels to be placed in the hall.
But the servant, who was fond of the hunters, warned them again. When the princess and the eleven girls were alone, she said, “Control yourselves and do not look at the spinning wheels.”
The next day, the king summoned the twelve hunters again. As they walked through the hall, they didn’t even glance at the spinning wheels. The king once again said to the lion, “You’ve deceived me again. They are men, as they didn’t even look at the spinning wheels.” But the lion replied, “They already knew about the test, so they restrained themselves.” Nevertheless, the king no longer wanted to believe the lion.
The twelve hunters always accompanied the king when he went hunting, and the king grew increasingly fond of them. One day, while they were out hunting, news arrived that the king’s new bride was on her way to the palace. Upon hearing this, the real bride fainted with grief.
The king, thinking that something was wrong with his beloved hunter, rushed over to help and grabbed her hand. In doing so, he pulled off her glove and saw the ring he had given to his first fiancée. He looked closely at her face and finally recognized her. He was deeply moved and kissed her. She opened her eyes and said, “You are mine, and I am yours. No one in the world can change that.”
The king immediately sent messengers to inform the other bride that he already had a wife and asked her to return to her own country. He said, “Once you’ve found the old key, you don’t need a new one.” They held a wedding at once, and the lion was once again in the king’s good graces, for after all, it had spoken the truth.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
